What I found was that the HBH-IS800 fails in everyday situations

However, what I found was that the HBH-IS800 fails in everyday situations if you sprinkle a little bit of electrical interference or hinder the "line of sight reception" with only something like a laptop on your lap. Heck, sometimes even placing the transmitter (phone) into a pocket on the wrong side of my body would introduce audio hiccups from time to time.The wireless Sync by 50 over-the-ear headphones use Kleer wireless technology to send music from a wireless transmitter that connects to the 3.5mm headphone output on an audio source. It has specified range of 50', and can sync up to four users from one source. Additionally, Sync has memory-foam-cushioned headphones, 40mm drivers, on-board bass boost, volume control and mute. It uses passive isolation to block out noise. This model comes in black and white, and has a battery life of up to 17 hours. MSRP is US$399.95.

Still, the bulk of the headphone market sits at the lower end. Arnold said about 72% of headphone sales take place in the $25-and-under category, with another 22% in the midrange, between $25 and $100. Those price brackets are dominated by brands such as Sony Corp. (US:SNE) (JP:6758), Phillips, JVC and the newly public Skullcandy Inc. (US:SKUL)

Shure SE115 Clear – You simply can’t go wrong with Shure earphones. They offer the most detailed audio quality and clearest sound of any earphone. They're light weight and the latest over-the-ear design are comfortable enough for all-day listening. While the SE215, with Dynamic Micro Driver, is on sale at Amazon for more than half off at $99, the SE215-K made for iPhones will run you about $145.

Also shipped in the box is a six inch "Nokia AV adapter", shown below, right. This is intended to help non-AHJ 4-pole jacks work with the headphones and I tried it with a selection of Nokia 'Nseries' Symbian-powered smartphones, including my N8. The Symbian handsets have superior audio circuitry to the Windows Phone chipsets, by some margin, meaning that to really push the Monsters, I had to test using this device and not the Lumia 800.

The biggest problem I’ve seen with most headphones is that the headband isn’t well cushioned, and puts a lot of pressure on the top of my head after extended listening. If your headphones don’t have very good cushioning, the best trick you can pull is to find a headphone with better cushioning, order the cushioning as a separate part from the company, and velcro it onto your headphones. You’ll get the sound and look you like, but with a bit more comfort on the top of your head.

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